A Usurper's Cause (Book #4)

Chapter Forty-Six

"This is not possible," Elouise said, curling her fingers into her palms. "The last time we saw you, you were on their side. Your mind was taken over by Godwin. How could you be here now as if nothing had happened?"

Ivy blinked slowly and rose onto her knees. She stared at the wall across from her, and then she took a deep breath. "I don't remember how it happened, but I came to my senses. My first instinct was to come back home and find my cousin. My mother... she found me, and I've been here ever since. It's been five months."

"Home..." Elouise averted her eyes.

"What is it?" Ashton asked.

She merely shook her head and faced Ivy again. "How can I be so sure I can trust you?"

"Because it's me!" Ivy jumped onto her feet, and she beamed—as she always used to.

Elouise raised her eyebrows.

Ivy glanced at the door and took a deep breath. "We have to get out of here before she comes back!"

"Oh? What will happen if she finds us here?"

"Bad things. She'll punish me, too."

Elouise glanced down at the key.

"I know where that goes to!" Ivy said, walking over. She extended her hand, and Elouise concealed the key within her palm, clutching her fist.

Ivy blinked a few times, yet she smiled again. "If we're quick, I can show you."

"Truly? You sounded quite rushed just now. I would've thought you would want to wait for another time. Perhaps when we know your mother will not be around for a while?"

"We could. But you're here for a reason. You're looking for something important, and I want to help! Even if this turns out to be nothing, at least we tried." Then Ivy reached for the key a second time. She let her hand hover in front of Elouise, palm facing upwards.

"I am only saying this to you because she can't see or hear me," Ashton said. "Her energy is... different."

Elouise pursed her lips.

"I'm unsure how to explain it. She is Ivy, yet I can't tell you confidently that she isn't controlled by Godwin. She must've done something to change her eyes back to normal."

Yes, that is essentially what I thought.

Nonetheless, Elouise smirked at Ivy and held out the key to her. "Alright," she said. "Lead the way, then."

Ivy snatched the key from her and skipped off through the archway she'd come from. Elouise faced Ashton and shook her head.

"Should anything go awry, I will not hesitate to use my magic against her. I am getting the same senses as you are. She is... strange."

"Let's be careful," Ashton urged.

Elouise hurried to catch up with Ivy. Ivy waited for her behind a wide staircase with an iron railing. Elouise couldn't help noticing that if it were not for the stairs, the room would almost be bare.

"The walls are so beige," Ashton pointed out. Elouise watched his eyes scan every inch as if he wanted to—hoped to—find something nice to say.

"Your mother never quite cared much for decorating, did she?" Elouise asked Ivy.

Ivy chuckled. "She would always say there was no use in wasting time on mundane things like that. She said family was all a home needed for it to feel like a home." Then her eyes widened, and she lowered her head. Without another word, she turned away from them and yanked off at torn tapestry from the side of the stairs.

"Ah, but that was worth hanging?" Ashton asked. "What is it even depicting? Mountains?"

Elouise rolled her eyes and walked up to Ivy, seeing the door that'd been hidden.

Ivy nodded at her. "Shall we?" Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and went in first. She started to descend, and Elouise glanced back at Ashton.

"Where do you think she's taking us?" Ashton whispered.

Elouise lifted her right shoulder and carefully headed down, watching her every step as the wood constantly creaked beneath her weight. At the bottom, Elouise bumped into Ivy and murmured an apology.

"I remember my mother coming down here all the time. I always wanted her to let me go in with her. She refused and refused, which I knew was for my own good, but that never stopped my curiosity."

Elouise furrowed her eyebrows.

Ivy unlocked the door and pushed it open, releasing an obnoxious squeak. She grabbed a torch off the wall and mumbled a spell under her breath. Fire engulfed the torch, lighting Ivy's features. She hummed to herself as she entered and made her way around, lighting candles as she went.

"I could've done that faster," Elouise said, walking in. "This is—" And she gasped when she took in the sights around them. There was a table up against the wall across from her which was littered with vials—some full and some empty. Book were piled high, and pieces of parchment were scattered on the floor. Everything appeared to be written in Magic Speak, and Elouise cursed herself for being unable to translate anything to herself. It didn't help that the person's script was horribly smudged.

"This is where my mother studied her craft!" Ivy announced.

Elouise moved closer to the table and plucked one of the potions. She held it up to her face, examining the peculiar shade of red. Then a whiff of its herbal and musky aroma reached her nose, and she nearly dropped it.

"And now this is where you will rot," Ivy said.

Elouise whirled around and let the vial fall and shatter in front of her as Ivy transformed into an older woman.

"It's her," Ashton hissed. "Lady Rowe!"

Lady Rowe fled to the door but glanced back as she hovered in the doorway. "You will be my gift to my Almighty when he comes for me."

"No!" Elouise held out her hands and clenched her teeth... and nothing happened. She blinked and turned her hands, looking over her palms.

"No magic allowed in here anymore," Lady Rowe informed. "I used one final spell to block any use, including yours." She snickered and stepped out of the room. "Enjoy your time in here with your little angel." Ashton gaped at her, and she winked at him before slamming the door behind her.

Elouise ran over and skidded to a halt when she heard the lock. "N-no!" She grabbed the knob and pulled, attempting to turn it left and right. But it was stuck. It wouldn't even move an inch.

"This cannot be happening! No!" She kicked at the door and groaned.

"Let's not give up hope," Ashton pleaded.

"How could we not?" Elouise turned to him. "That is Ivy's mother! She is a delusional dark magic user. And I foolishly gave her the key. I foolishly believed she could not outsmart me. After all this time, I still let that happen to me! I made it so simple for her to trap me. I should've known—I should've known that wasn't truly Ivy. She didn't consider Caelum her home anymore."

"Elouise—"

"No! There is nothing you can say that will make this any better right now, Ashton. We are stuck in here, and there is no telling when we will leave!" She breathed heavily and leaned against the door, steadying herself. But then she noticed the lit candle in the corner of the room and narrowed her eyes. The flame didn't rise. It didn't even dance—completely unfazed by her.

"Henry and Haven will notice when we don't return, and they will come searching for us," Ashton reasoned.

Elouise huffed, glaring over at him. "And what do we do until then?"

To her dismay, Ashton smiled. And to make it far worse than it already was, he said, much too calmly, "We wait."